Convertible chair and couch



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 14, 1942 a e 5 a 2 a 2 o s, n A u M 6. 0 .44 o w r .I 0 7 2 3 5% a 6 4 O 8. H 5 2 /m .w. ,9 a m u c n w mvmon.MPI'ON.

BY (Um/1m LUJLA ATTORNEY Feb. 1, 1944. F. HAMPTON 2,340,845

CONVERTIBLE CHAIR AND COUCH Filed March 14, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. lkED HAMPTON.

A TTOKNE )4 Patented Feb. 1, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT o FiccffCONVERTIBLE CHAIR AND COUCH Fred Hampton, Bellerose, N. Y., assignor toZimets Bed Spring Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y,

Application March 14, 1942, Serial No. 434,755

2 Claims.

This invention relates to furniture and more particularly to easy chairssusceptible of being extended and inclined to constitute a comfortablecouch.

An object of the present invention is to provide a structure, normallyusable as a commodious chair of attractive appearance, capable of beingunfolded or inclined rearwardly at the back and extended at the front,thereby to conveniently form a. couch.

A further feature is in the provision of a chair structure that may bemanually raised and metamorphosed into a couch without the use of toolsor mechanical appliances, easily and quickly when desired, and withequal ease returned to a normal position.

Another purpose is to produce a convertible chair-couch, simple andinexpensive to construct, easy to manipulate, and of lasting qualities.

These desirable aims are accomplished by the novel construction,arrangement and combination of simple parts hereinafter described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, constituting an important partof this disclosure, and in which:

Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of an embodiment of theinvention, shown as a chair, one of the main side support members beingomitted.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1, drawn to anenlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a perspective view, similar to Fi ure 1, but showing theparts extended in the position of a couch.

In the several views the side frame members, of which it will beunderstood two are used, are of the same general construction,consisting of front legs [5 and rear legs l6 rigidly connected neartheir tops and intermediate their heights by transverse bars ll-l8, andnear their bottoms by beams [9; it will be further understood that, forthe purpose of illustration, no attempt at showing upholstery has beenmade.

Secured to the inner adjacent sides of the beams l9, are horizontal bars20, as by screws 2|, these bars preferably being commercial rolledangles, having short upturned ends 22 at the front fastened to the frontlegs I5 and similar, and longer rear ends 23 at the back fastened to therear legs IS, the rear elements 23 being further stiffened by braces 24angularly disposed and riveted to the bars 20.

The front elements 22 are cross connected by a bar 25, while near therear of the bars is a cross connection 26, thus forming a firm, rigidframe.

Pairs of bent links 28 are pivoted in spaced relation, at their lowerends, to the bars 20 and at their upper ends to the other bars 30formingthe side elements of the seat frame, these bars being connected at theirfront ends byga level cross bar 3| and at their'rear ends by the-upstanding, offset elements 320i a transverse bar '33-.

Coiled tension springs 34 are attached at their lower front ends to thebottoms of the front'links 28 and at their upper ends to the tops of therear links, these springs exerting force' tending to draw the links 28into a nearly upright position, thus elevating the seat frame as a unit.

Riveted to the outer side of the bars 30 aredown-reaching pads 35-46,the latter being of lesser length and closer to the front of thefram'e;

Pivoted to the longer, rear pads'35 are offset links 31., similar links38 being pivoted to the shorter front pads 36. v

A foot frame having side bars 40 connected at the front by a cross bar4| and at the rear by-a similar bar 42, has its side members 40pivotally engaged by the front ends 'of the links 31 in such manner asto permit the foot frame to be' folded over and upon the adjacentseatframe at will.

The links 38 are pivoted at' 43 to the side bars 4|] and have extensionstherebeyond pivoted to links 44, reaching angularly downward and havingat their outer ends studs 45 movably engaged in slots 46 formed inplates 41 fixed on the spaced apart parallel side elements 48 of a frontsupport element 49 connecting the sides 48 in the manner of a loop.

The side elements 48 are pivoted to the foot frame members 40 as at 50and are held normally extended by tension springs 5|.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the elements 48-49 constitutefoldable legs for the foot frame when the device is to be used as acouch and when as a chair can be turned inwardly, these positions beingapparent in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings.

The back of the chair, or head frame of the couch comprises a rolledangle bent to produce side members integrally connected by a cross bar56, these elements being overlaid by a wooden frame 51 to whichupholstery may be secured.

At the inner ends of the side members 55 are rigidly secured curvedbrackets 58 pivoted at their outer ends to raised lugs 59 fixed on therear ends of the bars 80.

Distanced from the brackets 58, in the outer elements of the head framemembers 55 are open slots 60, their remote ends terminating in lateralnotches 8|.

7 claims.

Studs 62, set rigidly in the upper ends of the upright bars 23, areengaged in the slots 60, in which manner as to retain the head frame ata desirable angle with the seat, when used as a chair, and when the headframe is extended level, as a couch, the studs engage the notches 6 lsupporting the structure horizontally and in a plane higher than thenormal level of the seat when used as a chair, the seat being raised tothe level of the backwhen the back is horizontal.

A plurality of coiled tension springs 65 are con-' nected at their outerends to extend inwardly from both sides of the frame elements 30, 40 and55, these springs supporting and tensionlng the mattress structureindicated at 66, which may be of any preferred type.

In operation, the parts being assembled to act as a chair having a backand fixed arms,'upholstored in any preferred manner, and it is desiredto use the structure as a bed or couch, it is needed onlyto seize theelements 5651 and exert moderatedownward pressure, whereupon the back isdrawn level and the seat simultaneously raised to the same height.

fljhereafter seizing the bar 4| and exerting a forward pull, the footframe swings upwardly and outwardlyyby reason of the links 31 and 38,into a forward position, and the support elements 48 assume an uprightposition, retaining the parts all in the same level. f Y

Conversely, to use as a chair, the operations are merely reversed. v 7

Although the foregoing is descriptive of the best known embodiment of thinvention, it is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive,as minor changes are included within the concept of theinvention asdenoted by the annexed Having thus described the invention, and setforth the manner of its construction and application, what is claimed asnew and sought to secure by LettersPatent, is: I

p 1. A convertible chair. and couch comprising side elements. having arm.rests and supporting legs, rigid connections between saidelementsincluding a horizontal bar-fixed on each side element, said bars havingraised vertical members on their rear ends, cross connections betweensaid bars, a seat frame, pairs of spaced apart links pivoted at thefront and rear on each side of said frame to connect said bars and seatframe, tension springs extending between th lower pivots of the frontlink and the upper pivots of the rear links to exert force to aid inraising said seat frame relative to said bars, a head frame, bracketspivotally connecting said head frame and seat frame, guideways' in theouter Side {members of said head frame, studs set in the'upper ends ofsaid vertical members to move in said guideways, means to restrain saidstuds when at the ends of said guideways, a foot frame, spaced pairs oflinks connectin the foot frame to said seat frame permitting the footframe to be swung over the seat frame and extend forwardly therefrom,supports for the foot frame, and means to automatically extend andretract said side supports.

2. A convertibl chair and couch comprisin a pair of side elementsincluding arm rests and supporting legs, a rigid rectangular frameconnecting said elements, including a horizontal bar secured on theinner surface of each side element, said bars having upright rear endmembers, cross connections betweensaid bars, a seat frame normallyresting on said connections, pairs of links pivoted in tandem connectingsaid bars and seat frame, a head frame, pivoted connections between saidhead and seat frames to raise and lower the seat frame in accordancewith the position of the head frame, the side members of said head framecontaining slots havin detent terminals, studs set in the upper ends ofthe upright members of said bars engaged in the head frame slots andenterable in the detent terminals thereof when said head frame ishorizontal, a foot frame, pairs of tandem links connecting said footframe and seat frame whereby the foot frame may be swung forwardlyrelative to the seat frame, foldable supports on said foot frame, andmeans to extend and re tract said supports when the foot frame is swungoutwardly and inwardly, said frames when extended forming a firmsubstantially level support for a mattress and when retracted toconstitute an arm chair.

FRED HAMPTON.

